Immigrant laws are hotly debated

WASHINGTON -- These are heady days for advocates of strictly enforcing the nation's immigration laws.

A group of conservative lawmakers, including Sen. David Vitter, R-La., has blocked an immigration bill supported by President Bush and now is picking up support for its enforcement initiatives from moderate Democrats, including Louisiana's Sen. Mary Landrieu.

Landrieu joined Vitter in opposing the comprehensive immigration reform bill, which conservatives described as amnesty for illegal immigrants because it provided a legalization process for 12 million undocumented Americans. And she was the only Senate Democrat to support Vitter's unsuccessful amendment to deny federal anti-crime funding to communities that refuse to help with enforcement of immigration laws.

Last week, Landrieu joined fellow Southern Democrat Mark Pryor of Arkansas in sponsoring a bill, the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act, to increase federal resources to curb illegal immigration. Vitter signed on as a sponsor of a similar bill, and Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, is co-sponsor of the House version.

Political analysts say lawmakers from both political parties perceive a growing public tide against illegal immigration -- what some label the Lou Dobbs effect. Although Dobbs certainly isn't responsible for the strong push for enforcement, his almost-daily reports on illegal immigration build support for enforcement initiatives.

Last week, Dobbs claimed victory after weeks of denouncing a plan by New York 's Democratic Gov. Elliot Spitzer to provide driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. Spitzer, in announcing he was dropping the plan, said he still believes it would improve safety by assuring that more drivers are licensed and insured, but didn't want the emotional debate to endanger his broader agenda.

"Lou Dobbs has a platform and has a viewership, and there isn't a comparable pro-immigration voice," said Michael Jones-Correa, a Cornell University professor of government.

Immigrants disappointed

For Democrats like Landrieu, who faces a difficult re-election campaign in 2008, it makes political sense to take "the harder line on immigration," just to avoid giving political ammunition to GOP opponents and enforcement advocates such as Dobbs, Jones-Correa said.

Landrieu, in announcing her support for the Shuler-Pryor bill last week, said that the debate over immigration reform has been stalled by partisan divisions.

"Falling through that divide has been the paramount need to enforce the laws already on the books, and to back them up with the action and resources to succeed," Landrieu said. "The SAVE Act looks past partisan strife to focus on smart, effective strategies for securing our borders and curtailing illegal immigration."

Her recent positions on immigration, along with Vitter's vocal advocacy for improved enforcement against illegal immigration, is a disappointment to a relatively small but growing population of immigrant workers, some drawn to the New Orleans area by post-Katrina work opportunities, according to Cynthia Ceballos, a New Orleans immigration lawyer.

"Both Sens. Vitter and Landrieu have voted against almost every reform and that is disappointing when our state in particular after Katrina has depended so largely on an immigrant workforce to rebuild Louisiana," Ceballos said.

The nation's immigration problems are complex, Ceballos said, and not easily captured in a TV sound bite. The key to reducing illegal immigration, she said, isn't building expensive fences along the border but expediting work visas for people that American businesses say they need to fill jobs.

Thomas Langston, a political scientist at Tulane University, said that if the U.S. economy continues to worsen, pressures will grow against measures seen as encouraging immigration. As jobs become scarcer, Langston said, "It will only increase the salience of any and all issues relating to employment."

Finding support

A Democratic president combined with a Democratic Congress, which polls indicate is a real possibility after the 2008 elections, creates only a "marginally better chance" for a less enforcement-oriented immigration policy, he said.

"But would a Democratic president even try, after the failure of the bipartisan effort under George Bush?" Langston asked.

With the exception of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., all the Republican candidates have opposed a legalization process for undocumented workers -- at least until enforcement efforts are significantly tightened. McCain favors the "balanced approach" offered in the Bush bill, tighter security along with a path to legalization for illegal immigrants. That position has cost him some support among GOP primary voters.

On the Democratic side, the presidential candidates support a legalization process, but many are tying that support to tighter enforcement mechanisms. It's a tough issue for the Democrats because they need strong support from Hispanic voters, particularly in such Electoral College-rich states as Florida and California, but don't want to offend blue-collar workers in battleground states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, many of whom worry that their jobs are threatened by illegal immigration.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., under heat from opponents for giving an ambiguous answer about her views of the Spitzer driver's license proposal, was direct at last week's Democratic debate. Clinton said she opposes the plan. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., currently her leading challenger for the Democratic nomination, said he supports the idea but says the issue has been misrepresented by those who insist on a yes or no answer to complicated policy issues.

"Instead of being distracted by what has now become a wedge issue, let's focus on actually solving the problem," said Obama, who considers the licensing idea as a way of reducing the numbers of uninsured motorists rather than simply an immigration issue.

Political jabs

On Capitol Hill, Vitter has kept the issue of immigration law enforcement at the forefront, even after the defeat of the Bush/Democratic leadership immigration bill, which he refers to as the Kennedy bill, for liberal Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Last week, Vitter introduced legislation requiring that financial institutions check documents to make sure applicants for credit cards are in the country legally.

"Some banks throughout Louisiana have already stated their intent to accept matricula ID cards (from Mexico ) as a form of identification," Vitter said. "In doing so, they receive no guarantee that the individual presenting such a document is not an illegal immigrant, or worse, on a terrorist watch list."

Both sides in the emotional debate accuse the other side of seeking to score cheap political points.

Immigrant advocates say that those favoring crackdowns are trying to scare Americans by suggesting that those who cross America's southern borders to work might be plotting terrorism acts like the 9/11 hijackers, who were all from the Middle East.

"Why do some amongst us feel it necessary to place every obstacle possible in their path, to launch bigoted assaults on them, to wrongly blame those who work the hardest, at the worst jobs, for the ills of all of our society?" said Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Calif.

But Vitter said advocating enforcement of existing immigration laws isn't anti-immigrant. If anything, it reinforces the process followed by those who came to the United States legally, Vitter said.

The SAVE Act, which Landrieu co-sponsored and Vitter offered as a stand-alone bill, would add more border security, including fencing and technology, and establish a computerized verification system so that employers can confirm that their employees are legal residents. Melancon, the Napoleonville Democrat, said his constituents clearly want their federal government to stem the flow of illegal immigrants.

"Illegal immigration is a threat to our communities and a burden on our local governments, and we must do more to combat this problem and protect our borders," Melancon said. "The SAVE Act will help stem the tide of illegal immigration through common-sense measures like putting more agents along our borders and requiring employers to verify workers' citizenship."

Bruce Alpert can be reached at bruce.alpert@newhouse.com or (202)¤383-7861.